Marin County administrator 'delegated' more spending authority

Marin County Administrator Matthew Hymel was given a key to a bigger cash register this week as officials agreed he could spend up to $50,000 on consultant and other professional service contracts.

Previously, the administrator held "delegated authority" to approve contracts of up to $25,000 without specific approval, but county supervisors swiftly agreed that doubling the authorization would boost efficiency.

Other counties, including Monterey, Santa Barbara and San Mateo, authorize up to $100,000, officials said. The limit is $15,000 in Santa Cruz and $25,000 in Sonoma.

"Based on our review, we are proposing to increase the delegated authority to $50,000 to be more in line with our comparable counties," Deputy County Administrator Daniel Eilerman told the county board. "We would continue to be required to provide quarterly reports to your board" on how much was spent for what, he added.

He noted the action would not change "the legal and programmatic review processes that take place prior to the execution of a professional services contract," and stressed the administrator will submit "quarterly reports on the contracts executed."

The board voted its approval 4-0 in the absence of Supervisor Susan Adams.